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THE HAND 

AND = 

ITS LINES 



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A Short Treatise 

ON 

PALMISTRY 



ILLUSTRATED 



BY 

E. J. LaSEER, C. D. 

SCIENTIFIC PALMIST 

President of the National Institute of Palmistry, of 

Grand Rapids, Mich., and author of 

"Illustrated Palmistry." 



Copyrighted 1Q02 



[THE LIBRARY ur 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Received 

JUN. 14 1902 

Copyright entry 

ILASS «OCXa No. 

COPY 8. 






Some of the Book's 
Contents 



Early History of Palmistry. 

Its Scientific Divisions. 

Good and Bad Signs in the Hands. 

Fingers and Thumbs Keys to Character. 

Cause of the Lines. 

Disease Shown by the Lines. 

The Ciiminal Known by h ; s Hands. 

Insanity Detected. 

Revealing the Future. 

Importance of Having one's Hand Read. 

Indicating Trades and Professions. 

Palmistry Contrasted with Other Sciences. 

Referring to Marriage. 

Value of Knowing Palmistry. 



THE HAND 

AND = 

ITS LINES 



A Short Treatise 

ON 

Palmistry 



ILLUSTRATED 



BY 

E. J. LaSEER, C. D. 

SCIENTIFIC PALMIST 

President of the National Institute of Palmistry, of 

Grand Rapids, Mich., and author of 

"Illustrated Palmistry." 



Copyrighted iqoi 



Some of the Book's 
Contents 



Early History of Palmistry. 

Its Scientific Divisions. 

Good and Bad Signs in the Hands. 

Fingers and Thumbs Keys to Character. 

Cause of the Lines. 

Disease Shown by the Lines. 

The Criminal Known by his Hands. 

Insanity Detected. 

Revealing the Future. 

Importance of Having one's Hand Read. 

Indicating Trades and Professions. 

Palmistry Contrasted with Other Sciences. 

Referring to Marriage. 

Value of Knowing Palmistry. 



Preface 



If one would have a son and daughter well employed, 
Of judicious mind and skilled in worldly worth refined, 
See Jupiter's and Mercury's mounts are well defined, 
The moon well rounded and with Venus' love alloyed. 



np HIS bo ok let has been prepared to 

interest the public in the science of 

Vw^ Palmistry and convince its readers that 

there is much more than is generally 

supposed by the average person in the outline 
of the hand and in the lines and markings of the 
palm. The doubter has but to inform himself 
slightly respecting this great science, and examine 
the hands of his friends to be agreeably surprised 
at what even he — with a little study — can see. 
A casual examination of its pages will con- 
vince the reader that there is a real basis for 
Palmistry ; a careful reading will interest him 
to learn more. 

LASEER. 
igo2. 




E. J. LaSEER. C. D, 



What is Palmistry? 



PALMISTRY is the science of the physiog- 
nomy of the hand and of the lines of the 
TOM palm. It is also called Chirosophy and 
fS^o Chirology. The two divisions of it, that 

treating of the shape, or physiognomy 

of the hand, and that relating to the lines of the 
palm, are called Chirognomy and Chiromancy 
respectively. 

The latter, Chiromancy, is the oldest palmistry, 
treating as it does of the lines or markings in the 
hands ; and its history is anterior to Abraham and 
contemporary with the earliest history of the peo- 
ple of India. Passing thus lightly over its grand 
past and its wonderful struggle for preservation 
through the interminable wars preceding the birth 
of Jesus Christ and the annihilation wrought by the 
book-destroying Vandals of the Middle ages, the 
time is reached when Chirognomy had its birth. 

Its founder was Captain D'Arpentigny, a retired 
army officer under Napoleon, who published his first 
book on the subject in 1843, after studying the 
subject for many years. His attention was first 
called to it by noticing the similarity in the shapes 
of hands of people in the same profession, science, 
or calling in life. He noticed artists had similar 
shaped hands, soldiers a common type, and people 
of about the same temperament hands resembling 
one another. He classified hands into seven dif- 
erent types, all of which have a distinct meaning. 
So accurate was he in his interpretation that no 
change has been made in the classification since, 
and he discovered a division in palmistry almost as 
important as the lines themselves. 



TYPES<-HAI\D5 




ELEMENTARY SQUARE or USEFUL 

5 



TYPES OF HANDS 

These types are known as the square, or useful; 
the philosophic, knotty or analytical; the conic, or 
artistic; the spatulate or argumentative; the psychic, 
idealistic or pointed; the elementary, or primitive; 
and the mixed, the latter having the qualities of 
two or more of the others. 

So much may be told from this division of 
palmistry alone that a competent Chirognomist can 
tell the temperament, character and substantial 
qualities of a person, acquiring an insight into his 
business qualifications, and even his future years, 
that is almost marvelous to the uninitiated; and 

TYPES OF HANDS— Continued. 




SPATULATE 



PHILOSOPHIC 




CONIC o«ARISTIC PSYCHIC ^IDEALISTIC MIXED 



how much more phenomenal the things he may 
see by combining with it its brother science, Chi- 



romancy 



And 1 may as well say here, that the accuracy 
and reliability of palmistic readings depends abso- 
lutely on the knowledge and natural ability of the 
interpreter. There is nothing the matter with the 
science of Palmistry. Its reliability is long estab- 
lished. Failure is with the reader, either through 
ignorance, carelessness or misrepresentation ; and 
he may err, even the very best — for it is a well 

G 



known fact that in consultations five physicians 
have many times been wrong and one right, and 
sometimes all have failed to diagnose a case cor- 
rectly. Palmistry is a deep study and requires 
the keenest insight and analysis to interpret it 
correctly. Then do not expect a scientific reading 
from a Gypsy, who does not generally know the 
name of one line in the hand, or from a lady mem- 
ber of a traveling palmistry show, whose' whole 
knowledge is confined to the Mount of Venus. 
But when you do spend money in this way 
consult an experienced reader who has made a 
conscientious study of it. Experience counts for 
more in Palmistry than perhaps in any other pro- 
fession. There is no mystery connected with its 
practice, and do not be deceived through euphon- 
ious names, misapplied expressions and incantations, 
and by fakirs wearing the toga and vestments of 
East Indians. 

MOUNTS OF THE HAND 

A glance at the illustration entitled Mounts of 
the Hand shows that special names are applied to 
certain parts of the palm. Little hills or protu- 
berances are found on the inside of the hands, par- 
ticularly under the fingers and at the foot of the 
thumb — only in the latter case the "hill" is not 
"little" but quite large. These elevations have 
a particular meaning in Palmistry, and as they are 
large or small, high or depressed, so will certain 
qualities in the individual be affected for good or 
bad. Then they must all be considered in relation 
to one another. For instance: Young men, in 
selecting a wife, should observe that the mount or 
elevation at the foot of the thumb, called the 
Mount of Venus, is rounded neatly and not too 
skinny if he desires an affectionate wife ; and the 
maiden, in turn, should not select a husband too 
much developed in this part of the hand if she 
wants to be the only one in her partner's affec- 
tions. If you desire your son to follow a profes- 
sional life, look well to the Mount of Jupiter, and 
get the opinion of a competent Chirognomist before 
starting him out on life's voyage; also observe the 
Mount of the Moon, for in certain phases of it the 
lad will devote his time to "playing hookey," and 
the young man to "avoiding examinations." 



LINES OF THE HAND 

The cut, Mounts of the Hand, also shows lines 
taking various directions across the palm, the prin- 
cipal of which are the life, head, heart, fate and 
union lines. Every hand has these lines in a per- 
fect or modified state, and according to their length, 

MAP of the HAND 




MAIN LINES of the HANDS 



evenness and position will affect the sanity, health 
and prosperity of the subject. Thus good life and 
head lines are indicative of good healtn and even 
disposition; a long, unbroken heart line of a calm, 
constant and truthful nature, particularly in a 
woman. Long' fate lines are excellent in many 
ways, and promise much to the possessors. Besides 

8 



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these lines there are other lines found in most 
persons' hands, making fourteen chief lines in all, 
and still others, called influence lines. All of these 
are taken into consideration when reading hands. 
Signs like stars, crosses, dots, cir- 
cles, squares, triangles, etc., play 
an important part, some being 
good, others evil, depending on 
what part of the hand they are 
found. A star found on the Mount 
of Jupiter presages great honors 
and (according to good authority) 
the achievement of one's fondest 
hopes. But even in this, other 
parts of the hands and the lines 
should verify it. 

The number of lines of all 
kinds, primary and influence lines, 
in the hands depends upon the 
impressionability of the person ; 
upon the scale of his intelligence. 
So in some hands there are more 
lines than in others and more 
events may be read from them. 
Events are read chiefly from the 
lines ; character from the type, 
lines and mounts. As we progress 
in the scale of humanity we find 
more lines, indicating higher in- 
telligence, and from this fact alone 
we can form an idea of the descent 
of the person and gain an insight 
into his ancestry. Thus a gen- 
ealogical tree is at once opened 
before us. 

The difference between the 
elementary hand, or the person 
of lower intelligence, and the hand 
of the highest order is so great 
that seeing the hand of a criminal 
we at-pnce know whether he is of 
the brutal type or one of the ad- 
vanced school, employing craft 
and the highest diplomacy. 

The simple deflection of a line from its natural 
or normal course is a matter of the greatest impor- 
tance to the Chirosophist, and alters the reading 
of the type of hand to a great extent. 

9 



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SOME 
SIGNS 

FOUNOINTHE 
HAND 



THE, FINGERS 




The fingers are an important factor in Palmistry, 
and from them alone much insight into character 
may be obtained. Their length, shape, pliability, 
length of the joints in relation to one another, 
special marks found on them, distance of one from 
the other, and whether high or low in the hand, 
all are of much moment. 

Medium short fingered people, with smooth 
joints, are the happiest, while people with long 
fingers, especially with enlarged 
^^^ joints, are generally in trouble 

from their dissatisfied and criti- 
cal natures. Fingers that bend 
back flippantly at the first joints 
indicate much versatility, but 
unless the rest of the hand 
indicates firmness and general 
merit, will invariably be disas- 
trous to the owner. 

Fingers in shape are spatu- 
late, square, conic and pointed. 
The conic type, modified, and 
the square type, slightly spatu- 
lated, are the best for the prac- 
tical problems of life and are 
found on the hands of most 
successful people. 

THE THUMB 

The thumb is really the 
key-note to the character and 
brain power of the subject, and 
as it is long or short, large or 
small, to that degree it affects 
the intelligence and tempera- 
ment of the person ; or as it is 
rigid or pliable, so are certain 
characteristics in the individual. Even the situation, 
place of the first joint — whether it is half way, one- 
third or two-thirds the distance between the tip and 
the third phalanges, is a very important matter. 

Babies always have small thumbs, which de- 
velop with the brain. Congenital idiots have very 
small thumbs ; monkeys, the most intelligent of 
animals, before arriving at man, have appendages 
or stubs, taking the place of human thumbs, and 
10 




^ TYPES 
FINGERS 




they use them for holding objects and to cling 
to trees. 

A woman with a very large, short thumb will 
be rough in her ways and indifferent to the delica- 
cies that make the refined woman, and will mingle 
with women of gossipy tendencies, hang on the 
back fence and tell all about her second door 
neighbor. With a hard hand she will be very 
industrious, often rising at four in the morning. If 
her husband is a saloon keeper she will have no 
objection to going behind the bar. She will work 
in the field like the Boer women, and can hold her 
own in a fight. 

Increase the length of her thumb considerably 
and give her short nails, and you will have an 
Amazon, whom it would not be safe 
to meet when her anger is aroused. 

Replace the short, thick nails 
with long, polished ones, and take 
a little of the roughness away from 
the thumb, and you have a mascu- 
line woman, a woman who advocates 
woman's rights, like Susan B. An- 
thony ; a person in whom there is 
much tact and great diplomacy. Such 
women will often make successful 
lawyers and physicians, but poor 
mothers. Reduce the size but keep 
the length and you have logic, scheme 
and purpose well developed. Such 
women- will generally have long fin- 
gers. Everything they do will be 
well considered and done for an ob- 
ject. It is unnecessary to say that 
they will marry for money ; and if 
other parts of the hand show a lack 
of love and sympathy their husbands should be 
pitied. The possessors of such thumbs are often 
accomplished musicians and successful actresses. 

If the first phalange is wide and heavy, with the 
Mars features of the hand strongly developed, a 
quarrelsome disposition is the result, Such a 
woman when angered would throw a skillet at 
you or strike you with a club. 

HEALTH CONDITIONS 

If a person is perfect in this respect the hand 
will tell the tale. If the subject has inherited his 
11 





511 APES 
THUMBS 



disabilities the cautious Chirosopist knows it at 
once. Not only does he know that the functions 
of life are irregular, but in most cases he can tell 
the cause and the disease that afflicts the person, 
and prescribe in the case as reliably as a physician. 
If physicians knew the importance of Palmistry in 
diagnosing ailments they would be deep students 
of it. Without going into the interpretation of the 
lines, which show so much in this respect, the gen- 
eral state of the hand, such as dry or wet, hard or 
soft, cold or hot, make known wonderful revela- 
tions. Physicians feel the hand to ascertain if the 
patient has fever, and the register of the flow of 
blood or heart beats is always taken on the wrist, 
the beginning of the hand. Physicians call it feel- 
ing the pulse. On account of the myriads of 
nerves and minute blood vessels that center here, 




Hand of William 
Gladstone — This is the hand 
of the literateur, the man of let- 
ters, the person of honor, the 
observer of good morals, the 
ideal parent; but not of the poli- 
tician. A statesman, but hardly 
a diplomat. It is hardly neces- 
sary to add that he was conscien- 
tious in what he advocated. He 
could never have been an Ameri- 
can politician. The shape of the 
hand is almost identical with 
that of Rev. Parkhursfs. The 
hand is conspicuous from the 
fact that it has two life lines, 
both very long, which show dou- 
ble capacity for labor and endu- 
rance ; also on account of the 
wonderful lines of honor running 
from the life line towards the 
fingers. 



the hand becomes overheated in cases of fever on 
account of the flow of blood being increased, and it 
grows cold when the circulation is bad, caused by 
slow action of the 'heart. Thus we are enabled to 
tell much about the condition of the person's health 
by this simple means alone. But to find out the 
wonder of wonders and discover the source of the 
trouble we decipher the labyrinth of lines in the 
hand, which never err to the master Chirosopist. 

CAUSE OF THE, LINES 

What is the cause of the lines in the hand? 

This is a question many ask. Some have solved 
it to their own satisfaction by attributing it to work 
and the folding of the hand. 

12 



This is the answer of the easily satisfied person. 
Work never caused a single line in the hand. The 
hand of the person doing the severest manual labor 
has the fewest lines, principally because it is a 
kind of elementary hand. A line will often show 
plainly through a callous spot ; if not, it reappears 
with the disappearance of the callous. 

Some of the lesser lines come and go as trifling 
events affect the person's life. The main lines, 
like the life, heart and head, are permanent through 
life, and never change to any appreciable extent. 

If skeptics in this direction will investigate they 
will find more lines in the hands of the society 
woman than in the hands of the factory girl ; more 
lines in the hands of the politician than in the hands 
of the iron-worker. 

The real cause of the lines is attributed to the 
astral fluid, as it is termed, that subtle, inexplic- 
able force that gives life to the human anatomy. 
It is no easier explained than electricity. We 
simply know it exists. What electricity is no man 
so far has been able to explain. The theory is that 
the astral fluid proceeds from the planets, stars and 
other stellar bodies and is projected through 
the fingers, which act as points, as it were, to 
absorb this force, and entering the myriad of 
nerves centered in the inside of the hands, digs the 
furrows found in the palm, the least adverse the 
resistance the straighter or more perfect the lines. 

All lines have regular destinations. Any devia- 
tion from this course is caused by adverse cir- 
cumstances. Thus successful people have lines 
distinguished for their perfectness; the unsuccessful 
or strugglers for existence, lines broken, retarded 
and diverted from their true position. 

The vigor and health of the individual has much 
to do with the clearness of the lines. In cases of 
paralysis lines often disappear from the hands. In 
the case of one arm or side paralyzed the lines be- 
come very faint in the affected member, sometimes 
disappearing altogether, and at the same time the 
lines in the other hand become more distinct, doubt- 
less caused by the fact that the healthy one has to 
absorb more of the astral or vital fluid, and has 
double duty to perform, clearly showing there is 
relation between the lines and the brain. Lines will 
grow through a scar or burned spot. This is more 
argument that they do not arise from mere chance. 

13 



Because some people are wonderfully success- 
ful they are entitled to no particular credit. It is 
easier for some to achieve the greatest renown and 
success than for others to make a bare living. They 
are endowed by nature with superiority of intellect, 
or some especial fitness in a given direction. Had 
Sarah Bernhardt's hand been examined when she 
was a child the extraordinary dramatic ability she 
has since shown would have been noticed. All 
great actors and actresses' hands are of the same 
type, and the plan of the main lines is the same. 
So can this similarity be traced in all the different 
professions and vocations. 

CRIMINAL TE,NDE,NCIE,S DETECTED 

Criminal tendencies in the hind may be de- 
tected. 1 have discovered them a score of times, 
and in the case of children have seen the downward 




Hand of Levi Steward 

— Hanged at Windsor, (Canada, 
Feb. 6, 1900, for the murder of 
old John Ross in order to secure 
$2.00. Reproduction from plas- 
ter cast of hand made by LaSeer. 
The hand of an indifferent, reck- 
less, immoral character, entirely 
without affection or sympathy. 
Lack of caution caused him to 
poorly plan the crime. Hand 
noted for its deficiency in mounts 
of Jupiter, Mercury, Sun and 
Mars; also for short first finger 
and low-set thumb. LaSeer pre- 
dicted he would face the scaffold 
courageously, which he did with- 
out the sign of fear. 



career lead to the reform school and finally to the 
penitentiary. For it is an indisputable fact that 
persons having the germs of degeneration and crimi- 
nality in them seldom reform, and it is a question 
even then whether they could ever be trusted. If 
a person has signs of murder in the hand he will 
commit murder some day if he is not restrained. 
It is only a question of incentive and the time being 
propitious. If it is to be caused through passion, 
he but needs to be angered sufficiently ; if for 
money, simply the opportunity need arrive. If he 
is a coward, a moonless night, a hidden alley and a 
belated wayfarer, are all that is necessary. 

14 



INSANITY SHOWN 

Does insanity show in the hand? 

Just as criminal tendencies may be detected, so 
is weakness or deficiency in sanity apparent in the 
hand. The examination may simply show an ex- 
cess of imagination. This, with deficiencies in other 
ways, notifies the Chirosopist that the subject is 
likely to become insane through sudden excitement 
or through too much enthusiasm in any direction ; 
that the nervous, hysterical woman will lose her 
mind over unrequited love; And as we run over 
the scale of the different kinds and degrees of 
insanity, we must apply much of the same reason- 
ing we do to the criminal hand. 

REVE.ALING THE. FUTURE 

Can past events, accidents, marriages, etc., be 
read in the hand? I say yes. 

Does Palmistry reveal the future? I say yes 
with equal candor. I have myself proved these 
things time and again. 

As regards prophecy, suppose we examine but 
the type of the hand and leave the examination of 
the lines alone for the time being, and see how 
logically we can apply it to the future. Suppose 
we have a badly balanced hand before us, showing 
evil tendencies, such as laziness, bad temper, shift- 
lessness and lack of self respect ; and we find no 
redeeming qualities, such as love, sympathy, pur- 
pose and a fair amount of mentality, we can at 
once safely predict a life of failure. The subject 
will be one who will work for others, regularly 
losing his situation for want of earnestness and 
fairness, and who will shift about the world as a 
good-for-nothing, perhaps ending up as a drunkard. 
Let us examine the lines in this subject's hand and 
we find the fate line missing and the line of the 
sun entirely wanting. Thus our observations are 
doubly confirmed. We have arrived at our con- 
clusion from two directions, by observing the type 
of hand and the lines in the palm. 

Another example. It is the hand of a young 
woman, showing great intelligence, strong origi- 
nality, ambition, love and versatility. Industry, 
perseverance and sincerity still increase the attri- 
butes just mentioned. An examination of the lines 
confirm what Chirognomy has just taught, and we 

13 



at once decide, here is the material for success. 
We now have to conclude in what line it shall be. 
A study of the mounts and lines will settle the 
question. Shall she be a musician, a society 
woman, a physician or an actress? 

I could recite numerous cases that have come 
within my own observation, such as predicted sick- 
nesses, marriages, separations, crimes, insanity, 
deaths and inheritances which have come true. 

READING CHILDREN'S HANDS 

It is of the utmost importance to have the hands 
of children and young people read. Their weak- 
nesses and special fitness for professions and avo- 
cations may be known years before they manifest 
themselves. It is useless to make a lawyer of a 
mechanic; a physician or a butcher a a person too 




Hand of Lewis Mor= 
rison — When a person thinks 
of the drama "Faust" his mind 
naturally runs to Lewis Morrison, 
who almost for a lifetime has in- 
terpreted the lines of the villain 
of Goethe. .His hand is as reliable 
as its possessor. It is of the 
strong mechanical type, showing 
that he likes order, system and 
regularity. Is this the reason 
that he has chosen the "Prince 
of Darkness" for his champion? 
Much earnestness, great sincerity 
and enthusiasm are salient fea- 
tures. 



timid to kill a chicken ; folly to make a boy, who 
cannot manage himself, proprietor of a business. 
Better to bring him up in^a trade or calling in which 
he is an employe. Then there is the great impor- 
tance to be derived by discovering the deficiencies 
in the boy and girl and rectifying them; for in many 
cases the defects shown may be entirely eradicated 
by pursuing the proper course, and the method of 
discipline best adapted to the subject will be dis- 
closed through the hand reading. 

PALMISTRY AND OTHER SCIENCES 

Phrenology is but the threshold of the Temple 
of Palmistry, within whose golden doors real facts, 
data and truth begin. We examine the head as 
we do the type of hand for the foundation of 
character and temperament, but we trace the lines 

16 



in the hand for the actual ebb and flow of the con- 
flicting tides of life. I do not want to say by this 
that Palmistry does not agree with Physiognomy 
and Phrenology. It is in perfect accord with them 
as far as they go. In fact, Palmistry agrees with 
the practically established psychologic sciences. 
The shape of the hand alone will teach as much 
as Phrenology does. 

It is in harmony with physiology ; for it may 
be said the more artistic the hand the more aesthetic 
the individual. The finer the curve of the horse's 
neck and his outline of figure, the higher the 
breeding — and so on in other grades of comparison. 

It agrees with graphology ; for as the instru- 
ment, so must be the handiwork. A person with 
a philosophic hand will write a coarse, cramped, 
angular hanr 1 while the writing of the conical hand 
will be even and exquisite in its harmony. 

AS APPLIED TO MARRIAGE, 

One of the most important features in Palmistry 
is its applicability to the marriage relation. Owing 
to the frequent occurrence of mesalliances Palm- 
istry can here serve a very useful function. 
Probably less than one married couple in ten live 
happy, harmonious lives, the agreement thus pro- 
duced conducing to proper conditions of health and 
to longevity; for conflict, quarreling, infidelity and 
unadaptability of the sexual temperament can but 
result in irritability, nervousness, sickness, often 
business failure, and puny, ill-conditioned children. 

I examine hand after hand, and find in the 
majority of cases unhappiness in marriage. Many 
of these show the sign of separation. I dislike to 
believe these unfavorable prophesies, and try to 
cast them aside. Nevertheless, I know they are 
true. The history of domestic life at the present 
time confirms it. I see these things happening 
about me daily. Why should the hand show a lie? 
It does not. The average young man and young 
woman does not look at the marriage union 
seriously enough. 

Much misery could be saved by having the 
hands of the man and woman contemplating mar- 
riage read by a competent palmist, and then pay- 
ing attention to what had been told. This is where 
Palmistry can do a signal service. 

17 



Incompatability of temper is responsible for 
most unhappy marriages. It is impossible to mix 
oil with water, gum with alcohol, mucilage with 
acids. Just so are some temperaments inhar- 
monious, and association will but bring out the 
opposing elements the stronger. Many people 
marry to find out these appalling incompatabilities 
later. 

Pre-nuptial association is attended with the 
stage lights at full strength, the paint of dissimula- 
tion wrought to the highest t^uch, and the sound 
of the orchestra and glamor of the scenery and 
chorus entirely blinding the realities of the moment. 

The honeymoon over, the echo of the chorus 
dies away in the distance, the scene changes, 
and the couple find themselves viewing the spec- 






Leon Herrmann, the 
magician's, hand, is 

particularly adapted to the pro- 
fession its owner has chosen, 
indicating a wonderful imagina- 
tion and love of the mysterious- 
This imagination is shown by a 
strong, sloping head line from 
. the mount of the moon. Great 
sensitiveness, love of art and 
poetry, strong intuitive powers 
and great love and enthusiasm 
are the qualities that contribute 
to make him successful. The 
hand is strikingly feminine. The 
desire for pleasure, frivolty and 
the good and tempting things of 
this life are so strong that if he 
is not careful they will over- 
balance the other qualities and 
cause his failure. 



tacle from the wings of the stage, as it were. The 
colors are more sombre, the heat of the furnace 
has cooled and the cold wind of life whistles 
through the interstices of the walls. They are 
face to face with reality. 

It has been my experience, and 1 am consulted 
repeatedly by persons having trouble in marriage, 
that nearly every child-marriage, as 1 call them, 
contracted between the ages of fourteen and seven- 
teen, is a failure. In fact, I only know of one 
instance among those coming personally to my 
attention which was completely satisfactory until 
death ensued. Divorce divided the others either 
soon after marriage or some years later; in one 
case 1 remember as late as the wife's twenty-sixth 

18 




year, she having been married between her thir- 
teenth and fourteenth years to a man much older. 
Yet all these years she had been unhappy. Her 
parents compelled the marriage in the first place, 
and after a few days she began to dislike her hus- 
band. Even in this case there were children who 
had to suffer for the sins of their parents. 

More than once I have seen the line of separa- 
tion in the hand at the time of marriage, and a few 
years later seen the couple part, and, in legal time, 
secure a divorce. 

1 have seen the signs of an unhappy marriage 
in the hand of the bride and a sign threatening her 
with a violent danger and almost a fatality. Several 
years after she was struck with the butt end of a 
gun by her husband and nearly killed. In this 



Hand of Congressman 
Henry C. Smith (Adrian, , 

Mich.) — The most striking cha- 
racteristic of this hand is the 
wonderful amount of self-confi- j \ \ 
dence shown, almost approaching / 
recklessness. Strong intuitive 
powers, great tact and a wealth m-\\ 

of enthusiasm are other strong I t*. ) 
attributes. When a person pos- \ ■ U 
sessing this hand is not hypo- 
critical, he is strikingly original 
and almost irresistably firm. Ac- 
cording to his public record, the 
latter applies to Congressman 
Smith. The hand is well mount- 
ed and supplied with one of the 
best thumbs possible. Taken in 
its entirety, it is a type of hand 
that always means success to its 
owner. 




'«*"- '■ 



case the couple began to quarrel six months after 
marriage, the police being called in several times 
to cool the husband's madness. This affair resulted 
in separation. 

STUDYING PALMISTRY 

If it is of any value to know the character of 
the person you are dealing with in business, if it 
is advantageous to know the disposition of the per- 
son you are about to marry, then knowledge of 
the hand is really of great importance. As unsuc- 
cessful marriages are mostly caused by incompati- 
bility of disposition and misunderstanding each 
other, it would be very acceptable here in prevent- 
ing such misery. Hundreds of people live to middle 

19 



life, and by not understanding human nature are 
cheated, taken advantage of and swindled out of 
what would have been a competence and perhaps 
made them independent the rest of their lives. 

The study of music is considered of great im- 
portance. Taking dancing lessons is a part of 
every young lady's and young gentleman's educa- 
tion if they expect to appear to advantage in social 
affairs. At least thousands of dollars are spent 
for these ends yearly. And all for what? For 
pleasure. To appease the god of vanity. Not to 
add to their advantage in a business or commercial 
way, but for an apparent opposite effect — to assist 
in spending money. Would it not be just as con- 
sistent to invest a little money in Palmistry? The 
social part could at the same time be catered to, so 
that they could not only use it as an accomplish- 
ment, but employ it as well in knowing others, in 
ascertaining their vulnerable points and their unas- 
sailable phases of character. 

Leave out the beneficial part altogether, if one 
wishes, and consider it from the social standpoint, 
for it is a fact that "Palmistry is again resuming 
its sway and is receiving marked encouragement 
in fashionable circles. Society belles are learning 
to take their admirers by the hand and read them 
like a book ; thus with Venus in the ascendancy, 
Apollo smilingly listens to his fate, and the torch 
of Hymen is not always kindled in vain." 



In these pages 1 have given you just a glimpse 
of Palmistry. I have taken you through a palm 
forest of beautiful angles, lines and curves. You 
have seen the fingers of these palms take different 
shapes, according to their kind; some were tapering, 
white and gentle, and belonged to the vivacious 
maid; some slightly rough and distorted, and be- 
longed to the person of uncertain mien; and others 
rugged, healthy and confident, possessed by the 
man of the world. If you have been observant 
and scanned this forest well, you are doubtless 
convinced that the great network of lines in the 
palms have a special significance, were placed there 
for a specific purpose, and the solution of their 
intricacies is but a question of human knowledge. 



20 



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14 1 COPY DEL TO CAT. DIV.,,.^ ] 

A Few things that may 
be discovered by having 
the hand read 



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If a person has musical, artistic or dramatic 
ability. 

If a person is cautious and prudent. 

If a person will make a success by his own 
personal efforts or through the assistance 
of other people. 

If a person will have changes or losses in 
life. 



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If a person has an artistic or a material 
nature. 

If a person has a meddling, fault-finding 
disposition. 

If a person worries over little things or 
only over large affairs. 

If a man lets his wife rule him or if he 
rules his wife. 

If a person is extravagant, in money or in 
talk. 

If a person is independent in thought and 
action. 

If a person is practical or theoretical, 

If a person has a weak or strong character. 

If a person is deceitful or not? 

If a person is inquisitive or not. 

If a person has good or bad judgment. 

If a person has continuity and perseverance. 

If a person has a love of the intellectual 
or of the material in life. 

If a person is egotistical or not, 

If a person is domineering or not. 

If a person is orderly or disorderly. 

If a person likes quantity or quality in food, 

If a person has inventive ability, 

If a person is liable to accident. 

If a person has occult powers. 

If a person will have good or bad luck. 

If a person has traveled or will travel much 
by land or by water. 

If a person will have many opportunities 
to marry, and if married life will be happy 
or otherwise, 

If you will marry for love or for money, 

If you will be ruled by others or if you 
will rule others. 



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